Mumbai: Police trace Mahindra XUV700 in fatal Ghatkopar hit-and-run case

The Mumbai Police on Saturday night traced the Mahindra XUV700 allegedly involved in the fatal hitandrun that killed Vikram Shantaram Bhalekar in Ghatkopar East on October 10 after examining footage from around 600 CCTV cameras and tracking the vehicle across several locationsThe driver Karan Yogesh Khanna 39 allegedly confessed during questioning but was served a notice under Section 353 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita BNSS as the offences invoked in the case are bailablepopcorn numberOct 10 descDay hitandrun incident occurred classDefaultDuring questioning Khanna allegedly told police that he had no idea he had run over a person and believed he had merely hit a divider According to his statement to police he learnt about the death a day later through social media and news reports following which he said he felt deeply distressed about what had happenedCCTV trailAccording to Senior Police Inspector Lata Sutar of Pant Nagar police station the team examined CCTV footage and used technical analysis to trace the white SUV The search covered the GhatkoparAndheri Link Road Vikhroli Junction towards Thane Navghar Bhandup Mulund toll naka Airoli toll naka and surrounding areasPolice eventually traced a suspected vehicle and identified it as a Mahindra XUV700 They then followed its ownership trail to establish who had been driving it at the time of the accidentThe vehicle was initially registered in the name of Suhas Tandalkar a resident of Vartak Nagar in Thane When questioned Tandalkar told police that he had sold the car to usedcar platform Spinny around a month earlierVikram Shantaram Bhalekar the BMC contract worker who lost his life on October 10Following this lead police approached Spinny and found that Ratika Harbhajan Bahel a resident of Tharwani Towers in Sanpada Navi Mumbai had purchased the SUV on September 29 When questioned Bahel told police that her husband Khanna was driving the vehicle on the morning of the accidentPolice subsequently questioned Khanna who allegedly confessed to his involvement in the incident The SUV was seized as part of the investigationThe investigationThe investigation was carried out under the supervision of senior officers including the Deputy Commissioner of Police Eastern Region Zone II and the Assistant Commissioner of Police Tilak Nagar divisionThe team comprised one crime police inspector three detention officers one investigating officer two Special Branch personnel and five other police personnel Crime detection and surveillance teams also assisted in tracing the vehicleDrunk driving allegationsAdvocate Pravin Shirgavkar who represents Bhalekarrsquos family has urged the police to investigate whether the driver was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crash alleging that he left the scene without reporting the incident and was traced only after around seven daysThe lawyer has also raised concerns over the alleged replacement of the vehiclersquos damaged left tyre seeking an investigation into what happened to the original tyre and whether any evidence related to the crash was altered or disposed ofIn his representation to the investigating officer Shirgavkar sought an inquiry into the driverrsquos condition at the time of the accident and urged police to examine the circumstances in which the driver allegedly continued driving after the collision He has requested that additional provisions relating to drunk driving failure to comply with statutory duties after an accident and disappearance of evidence be considered if supported by the investigationThe lawyer has also asked police to examine whether the evidence warrants charges of culpable homicide or murder depending on whether the necessary legal ingredients are establishedKin seeks compensationBhalekarrsquos family said they were relieved that the person allegedly responsible for his death had been traced but their immediate concern was securing financial support for his wife and sixyearold daughter ldquoWe are happy that the accused has been caught Now all we want is compensation for my brother Vikramrsquos wife and daughterrdquo said Jitendra Bhalekar the victimrsquos elder brotherCase backgroundBhalekar who worked on a contractual basis maintaining batteries and other equipment on BMC cleanup vehicles was taking a break during his shift when the speeding SUV struck him as he sat on a divider along the Eastern Express Highway service road The vehicle allegedly dragged him for around 10 to 15 feet Bhalekarrsquos family had earlier said that he worked multiple jobs to support his wife and daughter In a tragic twist the CCTV camera that captured the incident had been installed by Bhalekar himself just days before his death